Abandoned by All I Took It All Back novel Chapter 388

He shook the wild thoughts from his head. He was probably just exhausted. Justice might be slow, he reminded himself, but it would be served.

West’s car was parked in the alley, where he didn't have to pay for parking. He walked quickly into the narrow passage, only to notice it was unusually quiet tonight. The alley was pitch-black.

He instinctively looked up and saw that the streetlight was out. That was strange; it had been working just last night. Then again, the lamp on this alley had broken three times in the past year, so West didn’t think too much of it and kept walking.

After a few steps, he smelled smoke. He sniffed the air. It was definitely cigarette smoke. Who would be smoking here at this hour? Some local punks, maybe? But he couldn’t see anyone nearby.

West immediately became more alert. As he walked forward, his eyes darted around, and he kept his phone clutched in his hand, ready to call for help at a moment’s notice. He turned on the flashlight and dialed 911, his thumb hovering over the call button. If anything happened, he was ready.

Suddenly, he sensed someone behind him. He spun around, shining his phone’s flashlight back the way he came, and yelled, “Who’s there!”

Only the empty echo of his own voice answered him. There was no one there. West started to wonder if he was just sleep-deprived and paranoid, if his mind was playing tricks on him.

He hurried toward his parking spot, and in the dim moonlight, he saw a figure leaning against his car. The cherry-red tip of a cigarette glowed in her hand. It was Marjorie.

“What are you doing here?” West asked, startled. A chill ran down his spine. The woman was like a ghost, impossible to shake.

Marjorie turned her head. In the harsh glare of his flashlight, her pale face looked stark and unsettling. “We didn’t finish our conversation this afternoon, so I came here to wait for you.”

“You hate me that much, do you? But I want to be with you forever. What do you think we should do about that?”

She stubbed out her cigarette and began to advance on him, step by step. West could only back away, now certain that Marjorie was completely unhinged.

Remembering Janina’s warning, West felt a sudden sense of dread. He immediately turned to run out of the alley, completely forgetting about the 911 call ready on his phone.

However, in the instant he turned, a hand slammed down on the back of his head. A searing pain shot through him, and his vision went black as he collapsed to the ground.